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Hi Friends!

Welcome to our July Social Dance Newsletter! It's time for some summer fun with our July lineup of social dances. From salsa to swing, ballroom to blues there's a dance style for you at the Park!

Sunday, July 5, swing your partner at an afternoon Bumper Car Squares dance in the climate-controlled Ballroom Back Room! Let's have a grand old time at a rousing square dance invigorated by music from Strings on Wings with caller Caroline Barnes. Kids 12 & under get in free!

Get out on the dance floor and two-step the night away! Enjoy an evening of live music at a Honky Tonk Dance with Karen Collins & the Backroads Band on Friday, July 17. A free beginner lesson in two-step is included with admission, led by Sharon Schiliro and Michael Hart of Dancing by the Bayou. One of the DC area's top honky-tonk groups, Karen Collins & the Backroads Band play real country music. They have an authentic vintage sound that includes shuffles, two-steps, and buckle-polishing slow tunes with some early rockabilly songs mixed in. Grab advance tickets to save, or go for the Honky Tonk Dual Dance Ticket, which includes the August 21 dance with Cherokee singer/songwriter Agalisiga "The Chuj" Mackey.

Starting with the July 17 dance, Amber Logan's Moxie Movement Dance Company is taking over as the presenter of our Salsa & Bachata y más! series, now called ¡Música! Latin Dance Social! Same social you love, new name. We hope you'll join us for an evening of fiery salsa and sensational bachata!

In addition to our fabulous social dance events, Glen Echo Park also hosts social dance classes in a variety of styles at various levels. Browse the Mindful Movement & Dance Technique section of the catalog to find classes that introduce you to new styles or improve your technique in styles you already love. Registration for Summer classes is ongoing. Fall & Winter class registration will open up in early August.

DanceFit for Body & Mind is taking a break for the summer. Stay tuned for more information about DanceFit classes, which will return in the fall.

Dancers are always welcome to get up out of their seats and move to the incredible music at our FREE Thursday night Summer Concert Series! Our July 2 concert with interPLAY Orchestra had to be cancelled due to extreme heat, but the series will continue on July 9 with a performance by Natty Beaux. On July 16, we welcome the James Bazen Big Band, followed by King Soul on July 23 and the U.S. Marine Band Latin Jazz Ensemble on July 30.

As we move into the hottest part of the summer, please be aware of temperatures and plan accordingly. The Spanish Ballroom is a historic building with fans stationed around the floor, but no air conditioning. The Bumper Car Pavilion is a covered, open air pavilion with fans around the perimeter. Our Ballroom Back Room is a fully climate-controlled, indoor dance venue.

Read on to learn more about all our featured dances for the month—as well as the entire Social Dances calendar, including ballroom, waltz, contra, zouk, and lots more! Keep an eye on our Social Dances page to stay up to date with future dances! We can't wait to see you at the Park soon, and as always, we appreciate your support.

Keep on Dancin',

Emily Crews

Dance and Events Program Director

VIEW THE FULL DANCE CALENDAR

Honky Tonk Dual Dance Ticket

This special ticket lets you attend two Honky Tonk Dances: Karen Collins & The Backroads Band (7/17/26) & Agalisiga Mackey & A Full Country Band (8/21/26) at a $14 discount!

PURCHASE TICKETS

Washington Folk Festival

Sunday, August 23

12:00pm - 7:00pm

The Washington Folk Festival returns to the Park! Expect a jam-packed roster full of music, dancing, and storytelling ranging from American to International styles. You’ll hear bluegrass, Celtic, Americana, blues, and Zydeco, as well as folk music from around the world! Learn More >>

Dance for PD®

Wednesdays 2:30pm - 3:45pm

(No class on Wednesday, July 22)

In collaboration with Dance for PD® (Parkinson's Disease), the Glen Echo Park Partnership presents a Dance for PD® class series. These classes are free for participants, care partners, and family members thanks to the generous support of the program's donors.

LEARN MORE

FEATURED DANCES

ZOUK DANCE with District Zouk

July 3 | 6:30pm - 12:30am | Ballroom Back Room

Join us for a District Zouk social at the Park!

As usual, we'll have an open level beginner-friendly class followed by social dancing. We'll also have a lambada practica before the class so our lambada students and dancers can practice together. Come get your dance on!

Learn More >> | Purchase Tickets >>

BUMPER CAR SQUARES

July 5 | 2:45pm - 5:30pm | Ballroom Back Room

Join us for Sunday afternoon square dancing at the Park! We'll start out with a square dance intro lesson for all skill levels from 2:45pm - 3:00pm. Then, caller Caroline Barnes will lead a rousing square dance to live music from Strings on Wings. The band will play from 3:00pm - 5:30pm so get ready for square dancing fun that still gets you home early. We'll dance in the climate-controlled Ballroom Back Room.

Learn More >> | Purchase Tickets >>

BALLROOM DANCE with Ballroom Time

July 12 | 2:45pm - 6:00pm | Ballroom Back Room

Ballroom Time presents a ballroom dance in the Ballroom Back Room on Sunday afternoon, July 12, 2026. A beginner lesson in Rumba will take place at 2:45pm. Djangolaya Quartet gives a special encore performance of French favorites from 3:30pm until 4:45p, followed by DJ'ed French pop music from 4:45pm until 6:00pm.

Learn More >> | Purchase Tickets >>

View upcoming Ballroom Workshops >>

¡MÚSICA! LATIN DANCE SOCIAL!

July 17 | 7:30pm - 12:30am | Ballroom Back Room

We hope you'll join us for ¡Música! Latin Dance Social!, formerly Salsa & Bachata y más! Two lessons are offered by instructor Amber Logan prior to the social: a fiery salsa class from 7:30pm to 8:15pm and a sensational bachata lesson from 8:15pm to 9:00pm. All levels are welcome. The social, where everyone dances together, starts after the two 45-minute lessons at 9:00pm, with DJ Sidekick spinning the best salsa and bachata songs until 12:30am!

Learn More >> | Purchase Tickets >>

HONKY TONK DANCE with Karen Collins & the Backroads Band

June 17 | 7:30pm - 10:30pm | Bumper Car Pavilion

Enjoy an evening of live music at a Honky Tonk Dance with Karen Collins & the Backroads Band! A free beginner lesson in two step included with admission, led by Sharon Schiliro and Michael Hart of Dancing by the Bayou. One of the DC area's top honky-tonk groups, Karen Collins & the Backroads Band play real country music. They have an authentic vintage sound that includes shuffles, two-steps, and buckle-polishing slow tunes with some early rockabilly songs mixed in.

Learn More >> | Purchase Tickets >>

WALTZ DANCE with Waltz Time

July 19 | 6:15pm - 9:30pm | Bumper Car Pavilion

Enjoy a summer evening with waltzing and more in the breezy Bumper Car Pavilion. Live music by PHOENIX with Steve Hickman (fiddle, harmonica, vocals), Marty Taylor (winds, concertina), Bobby LaRose (piano). Beginner Social Waltz lesson starts at 6:15pm, included with admission. No partner required, participants are encouraged to rotate so everyone can learn and practice the moves. Live music for dancing - waltz mostly, with polka, schottische, tango, swing and more - from 7:00pm - 9:30pm.

Learn More >> | Purchase Tickets >>

VIENNESE WALTZ WORKSHOP with DanceSport Endurance

August 29 | 2:30pm - 5:00pm | Spanish Ballroom

Learn the basics of social Viennese Waltz in this workshop with Todd and Migle of DanceSport Endurance which includes lessons and supervised and assisted dancing. Schedule: 2:30pm - 2:45pm Warm-up | 2:45pm - 4:15pm Lesson | 4:15pm - 5:00pm Social Viennese Waltz Dancing.

Learn More >> | Purchase Tickets >>

CONTRA DANCE with Dancing Planet

September 13 | 2:30pm - 6:00pm | Ballroom Back Room

Enjoy a fabulous afternoon of contra dancing in the Ballroom Back Room, presented by Dancing Planet. Janine Smith will call to the inspired music of The Second Floor (Abe Joyner-Meyers, Steven Bluestein, and Cecily Mills.) Dance the afternoon away!

Learn More >>

SARAU DE SAMBA with EducArte

September 20 | 2:00pm - 5:00pm | Bumper Car Pavilion

Co-presented by the Glen Echo Park Partnership and EducArte, Sarau de Samba is an authentic samba de mesa or samba de roda (jam session). The event features a dynamic ensemble of musicians and dancers, showcasing everything from Golden Age samba classics and choro to modern pagode and high-energy carnival beats. We kick off with a beginner-friendly dance lesson, so everyone can join the fun—no partner nor experience required.

Learn More >> | Purchase Tickets >>

JULY DANCES AT-A-GLANCE

Wednesday

July 1

Thursday

July 2

Friday

July 3

Saturday

July 4

Sunday

July 5

DANCE FOR PD®

-------------

FOLK DANCE*

with

Dancing Planet

BLUES DANCE*

with

Capital Blues

CONTRA DANCE & OCCASIONAL SQUARES*

with

Friday Night Dancers

-------------

ZOUK DANCE*

with

District Zouk

No Dances

(Independence Day)

SQUARE DANCE*

(Bumper Car Squares)

-------------

TANGO DANCE*

with

Tango Brillante

Wednesday

July 8

Thursday

July 9

Friday

July 10

Saturday

July 11

Sunday

July 12

DANCE FOR PD®

-------------

FOLK DANCE*

with

Dancing Planet

BLUES DANCE*

with

Capital Blues

CONTRA DANCE & OCCASIONAL SQUARES*

with

Friday Night Dancers

-------------

BALBOA DANCE*

with

Gottaswing

SWING DANCE*

with

Gottaswing

BARN DANCE*

with

Folklore Society of Greater Washington

-------------

BALLROOM DANCE*

with

Ballroom Time

-------------

TANGO DANCE*

with

Tango Brillante

Wednesday

July 15

Thursday

July 16

Friday

July 17

Saturday

July 18

Sunday

July 19

DANCE FOR PD®

-------------

FOLK DANCE*

with

Dancing Planet

ROBIN'S/FOLLOW'S TOOLBOX: SOCIAL DANCE WORKSHOP

-------------

BLUES DANCE*

with

Capital Blues

CONTRA DANCE & OCCASIONAL SQUARES*

with

Friday Night Dancers

-------------

LATIN DANCE*

(¡Música! Latin Dance Social!)

-------------

HONKY TONK DANCE*

with

Karen Collins & the Backroads Band

SWING DANCE*

with

Gottaswing

WALTZ DANCE*

with

Waltz Time

-------------TANGO DANCE*

with

Tango Brillante

Wednesday

July 22

Thursday

July 23

Friday

July 24

Saturday

July 25

Sunday

July 26

NO DANCE FOR PD® (cancelled)

-------------

FOLK DANCE*

with

Dancing Planet

BLUES DANCE*

with

Capital Blues

CONTRA DANCE & OCCASIONAL SQUARES*

with

Friday Night Dancers

SWING WORKSHOP

with

Gottaswing

-------------

NIGHTCLUB TWO STEP

WORKSHOP

-------------

SWING DANCE*

with

Gottaswing

BALLROOM DANCE*

with

Ballroom Time

-------------

TANGO DANCE*

with

Tango Brillante

Wednesday

July 29

Thursday

July 30

Friday

July 31

Saturday

August 1

Sunday

August 2

DANCE FOR PD®

-------------

FOLK DANCE*

with

Dancing Planet

BLUES DANCE*

with

Capital Blues

CONTRA DANCE & OCCASIONAL SQUARES*

with

Friday Night Dancers

SWING DANCE*

-------------

ZOUK WORKSHOPS with

District Zouk

-------------

ZOUK DANCE*

with

District Zouk

SQUARE DANCE*

(Bumper Car Squares)

-------------

TANGO DANCE*

with

Tango Brillante

*Includes beginner lesson & social dance

KEY:

bold = Partnership-presented social dance or class/workshop

italics = Dance class/workshop (no social dance)

underline = Free for all ages or free for kids

VIEW THE FULL DANCE CALENDAR

Summer Concert Series

Thursdays @ 7:30pm

June 11 - August 20, 2026

Dancers are always welcome to get up out of their seats and move to the incredible music at our Thurday-night Summer Concerts! Learn More >>

We are looking for volunteers to assist with set-up and break down of seating for each of our summer concerts. SSL hours available! Volunteer >>

Want to dance for FREE?

Volunteer for Partnership Dances!

We need volunteers at many of our dances! Volunteer for one hour, to either help set up or break down for a dance or event, and gain free admission to the dance or event!

Upcoming dances in need of volunteers:

July 5 | Bumper Car Squares

July 17 | Honky Tonk Dance

August 1 | Swing Dance

August 2 | Bumper Car Squares

August 21 | Honky Tonk Dance

September 6 | Bumper Car Squares

September 20 | Sarau de Samba (Brazilian Dance & Music Party with live music)

To volunteer, please send an email to volunteer@glenechopark.org.

Social Dance Classes

Have you ever wanted to attend one of our social dances but don’t feel comfortable enough with the style? Or are you looking to hone your skills and show off to the crowd? While our dances are beginner-friendly, we are proud to offer dance classes in a variety of styles at various levels.

BROWSE THE CATALOG

glenechopark.org | 301.634.2222

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The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org) and also by funding from the Montgomery County government and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (creativemoco.com). All programs are produced in cooperation with the National Park Service and Montgomery County, Maryland.